Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City haven't played out too many thrillers in recent times, and in some ways, this, was no different.

While both will have started the second half of the season with hopes of laying down a marker in their respective pursuits of a play-off place, this point is unlikely to really do that for either, even if it was probably just about a fair result.

Both teams showed the desire to get forward on occasions, and Stoke were probably value for their lead when they got it through Nick Powell early in the first-half, but their inability to take advantage during the periods of play they dominated proved costly as they slowly reverted to the mindset of settling for a one-goal win, which cost them with John Buckley's equaliser making them pay.

Rovers however, can have little to smile about despite earning that point, again looking lacklustre for vast periods, as they missed out on a chance to get their first win against a team in the top-half of the Championship table this season, something which looked to have been presented to them when captain James Chester was sent off for the visitors ten minutes from time.

While Stoke would show more attacking intent than they did when sitting back on an early 1-0 lead for 84 minutes when they beat Rovers by a single goal at The Bet365 Stadium, neither side was able to trouble the opposition 'keeper during the opening 20 minutes or so, a header wide from Bradley Dack early on the closest either side would get to breaking the deadlock.

Rovers did then look to have opened the scoring 25 minutes in, as Joe Rothwell broke from a corner to play in Adam Armstrong, who fired under Stoke 'keeper Joe Bursik and into the net, only to be flagged offside.

A lack of chances despite some clear attacking intent and nice build-up play is a theme that would continue until the half entered its final ten minutes when it was the visitors who took the lead.

Just as he had done in the reverse fixture, it was Powell who headed the visitors in front, flicking on from a Jordan Thompson corner, and although Thomas Kaminski in the Blackburn goal got a hand to it, the ball still found its way into the host's net.

Moments later those same two players almost combined to double Stoke's lead, Thompson playing a lovely one-two with Powell to break into the area, Kaminski tipping his curling effort onto the post, before reacting brilliantly to deny Powell with another header from a corner on the stroke of half time.

It would be the Potters who would again go closest during the early stages of the second half, Powell again getting to a ball in the air in the box but heading off-target, before Nathan Collins fired wide on the stretch from a corner.

As the game passed the hour-mark, Stoke as they did in that reverse fixture, started to look increasingly happy with a 1-0 scoreline, and for a time they appeared to be comfortable with that, although they did have Bursik to thank for saving well from Armstrong's effort on the edge of the area with 73 minutes on the clock.

However, he would powerless minutes later from preventing the hosts equalising minutes later, as Harvey Elliott did well at the back post to just keep the ball alive when substitute Ben Brereton's effort looked to be running wide, before pulling it across the face of goal for fellow substitute Buckley to tap home from three yards out for his first of the season at a timely moment for his side.

Stoke's task then became even harder with ten minutes to go, as captain James Chester was shown a straight red card for bringing down Adam Armstrong with the Rovers top scorer through one on one with Bursik.

Ultimately, despite some heavy pressure from Rovers as they went in search of a late winner - Bursik reacting well to deny Brereton's flashed effort inside the area deep into stoppage time - that was something the Potters would manage to do, forcing both sides to settle for point that does little to aid either team in their pursuit of a top-six spot, with Stoke now four points off sixth-places Watford, and Blackburn three further back of the Potters.